Jannie smiled hugely. “It’s a she?”
“Yes.”
“How do you know?”
He wiped his lips with his napkin. “Louise Fontaine. She was featured inFood & Wine.”
He reads an epicurean magazine.
“You’re a foodie,” she declared, grinning.
A tiny smile. “I’ve been accused of that.”
Jannie looked up, trying to recall. “Now that I think about it, I never saw you buy lunch at school.”
He gave her a mock-horrified look and helped himself to another spoonful of cake. “Cafeteria fare?”
She laughed. “You talk about it as if it were lethal.”
“That’s because it was. At least, eventually, it would have been.”
“Come on.” She gestured with her spoon. “A few things they had were good.”
“Name one, please. I’ll wait.”
She thought a moment. “The fried chicken.”
“I remember.” His eyes sparked with something so intense, she had to look away.
Jannie cleared her throat. “Coffee or chocolate next?”
“You choose.”
She eyed the two remaining desserts. “I say we leave the Sin City Dark for last. I have the feeling it’s the best.”
He promptly pulled the cup of coffee mousse between them. “Do the honors.”
Jannie sank her spoon into the chocolate sauce that topped the mousse and pulled out a spoonful of pure, fluffy decadence.
Her mouth watered. Coffee, as far as she was concerned, was the elixir of the gods. She couldn’t think of anything containing coffee that she disliked. This time, as the complex flavors hit her tongue, she couldn’t suppress a moan.
Heat flashed in Nick’s eyes. “That good?”
“Better.”
A tiny smile played about his lips as he, too, tried a spoonful, all the while watching her intently. “It’s refreshing to see a woman enjoying dessert without guilt.”
Jannie shrugged. “I fail to see the point of ordering dessert if you don’t.”
“I love the way you think.” He picked up his knife and precisely portioned the cube into four perfect smaller pieces.
She thought of him in the cockpit, competently landing a plane. Before Blake, Jannie had avoided dating pilots for many reasons, believing they had an air of arrogance that, while understandable, she found irritating. Not so with Nick. The vibe Nick gave off was all confidence, strength, and reassurance.
He motioned with his chin toward the dark chocolate squares. “Try one and tell me what you think.”
For some reason, instead of feeling tempted, she felt queasy.
Nick started explaining something, but she had trouble concentrating because the room suddenly seemed to tilt. To her dismay, saliva pooled in her mouth and sweat sprouted above her upper lip. Unable to control her churning stomach, Jannie pushed back her chair and stood.
